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Question:Its an excerpt from the book "Interview with the Vampire" transcribed in monologue form. Read and give me your opinion on whether it qualifies as a dramatic monologue. Thanks!
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All that you say makes sense. You are an intellect, I have never been. What I've learned, I've learned from listening to men talk, not from books. I never went to school long enough, but I'm not stupid, and you must listen to me, because you are in danger. You do not know your true nature. You wander through the night feeding on rats like a pauper and then moon at Babette's window. And suppose you could hold her in your arms, and she would look on you without horror or disgust- what then? A few short years to watch her suffer every prick of mortality, and then die before your eyes? Does this give happiness? This is insanity, Louis! This is vain. And what truly lies before you is vampire nature, which is killing. For I guarantee you, that if you walk the streets tonight and strike down a woman as rich and beautiful as Babette, and suck her blood until she drops at your feet, you will have no hunger left for Babette. You will be filled, Louis, as you were meant to be, with all the life that you can hold, and with that same sensibility that you cherish you will see death in all it's beauty. Life, as it is only known on the very point of death. Don't you understand? You alone, of all creatures, can see death that way- with impunity. You alone under the rising moon can strike like the hand of God.That is the way it is! You talk of finding other vampires- vampires are killers! They don't want you, or your sensibility.They'll see you coming long before you see them, and they'll see your flaw, and distrusting you, they'll seek to kill you.They'll seek to kill you even if you were like me, because they are lone predators, and seek for companionship no more than cats in a jungle.They're jealous of their secret, and of their territory, and if you find one or more of them together, it will be for safety only-and one will be the slave of the other, the way you are to me. (pause, sigh) I expected you to feel these things instinctually, as I did. When I gave you that first kill, I thought you would hunger for the next, and the next, that you would go to each human life as if to a full cup, the way I had, but you didn't. And all this time I suppose I kept from straightening you out because you were best weaker. I'd watch you playing shadow in the night, staring at the falling rain, and I'd think, "He's easy to manage, he's simple", but you're weak, Louis. You're a mark, for vampires and now for humans alike. This thing with Babette has exposed us both- it's as if you want us both to be destroyed. Come with me out into the streets, it's late. Let me show you what you are- really! Forgive me if I bungled it, left too much to nature, come! Louis, you haven't tried. You can stand it, I saw you last night with that child- you're a vampire, the same as I am. Evil is a point of view. We are immortal, and what we have before us are the rich feasts that conscience cannot appreciate, and mortal men cannot know without regret. God kills, and so shall we- indiscriminately, he takes the richest and the poorest, and so shall we.


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Its an excerpt from the book "Interview with the Vampire" transcribed in monologue form. Read and give me your opinion on whether it qualifies as a dramatic monologue. Thanks!
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All that you say makes sense. You are an intellect, I have never been. What I've learned, I've learned from listening to men talk, not from books. I never went to school long enough, but I'm not stupid, and you must listen to me, because you are in danger. You do not know your true nature. You wander through the night feeding on rats like a pauper and then moon at Babette's window. And suppose you could hold her in your arms, and she would look on you without horror or disgust- what then? A few short years to watch her suffer every prick of mortality, and then die before your eyes? Does this give happiness? This is insanity, Louis! This is vain. And what truly lies before you is vampire nature, which is killing. For I guarantee you, that if you walk the streets tonight and strike down a woman as rich and beautiful as Babette, and suck her blood until she drops at your feet, you will have no hunger left for Babette. You will be filled, Louis, as you were meant to be, with all the life that you can hold, and with that same sensibility that you cherish you will see death in all it's beauty. Life, as it is only known on the very point of death. Don't you understand? You alone, of all creatures, can see death that way- with impunity. You alone under the rising moon can strike like the hand of God.That is the way it is! You talk of finding other vampires- vampires are killers! They don't want you, or your sensibility.They'll see you coming long before you see them, and they'll see your flaw, and distrusting you, they'll seek to kill you.They'll seek to kill you even if you were like me, because they are lone predators, and seek for companionship no more than cats in a jungle.They're jealous of their secret, and of their territory, and if you find one or more of them together, it will be for safety only-and one will be the slave of the other, the way you are to me. (pause, sigh) I expected you to feel these things instinctually, as I did. When I gave you that first kill, I thought you would hunger for the next, and the next, that you would go to each human life as if to a full cup, the way I had, but you didn't. And all this time I suppose I kept from straightening you out because you were best weaker. I'd watch you playing shadow in the night, staring at the falling rain, and I'd think, "He's easy to manage, he's simple", but you're weak, Louis. You're a mark, for vampires and now for humans alike. This thing with Babette has exposed us both- it's as if you want us both to be destroyed. Come with me out into the streets, it's late. Let me show you what you are- really! Forgive me if I bungled it, left too much to nature, come! Louis, you haven't tried. You can stand it, I saw you last night with that child- you're a vampire, the same as I am. Evil is a point of view. We are immortal, and what we have before us are the rich feasts that conscience cannot appreciate, and mortal men cannot know without regret. God kills, and so shall we- indiscriminately, he takes the richest and the poorest, and so shall we.

My feedback? Halfway through, Lestat should stop and declare his hotness. Not that it really needs to be declared. It's quite obvious. Just a thought.

Of course it's dramatic.
If it's moving in anyway then it's dramatic.

I can find many parts in this monologue that are moving.

<33

if this is a monologue you're looking to perform, this is awesome. The only thing to stay away from when looking for a dramatic monologue to perform is to stay away from story monologues because they have no driving action or motivation behind them. This, however, is an awesome monologue.

It is dramatic but it needs some serious editing. A reasonable length for a monologue is 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. Any thing beyond that is just unnecessary (unless there was a specific request for a 3-5 minute monologue, which is rare).

What is it for? Personally, I'm not a huge fan of using books and/or movies for a monologue if it's for a theatre audition. Best to use a monologue from a published play if you're auditioning for a published play. There's a bit more leeway if you're attending one of those big theatre conference auditions (where there's also a 90 second time limit) and I've seen some interesting choices from The New Yorker and some other more journalistic things for contemporary plays, but it all depends.